It’s only August, which means most of us will monotonously be counting the seconds off the clock until October. The good news is, the World Junior Summer Showcase is underway. Four Anaheim Ducks elite prospects are representing their respective countries in this year’s event. It’s the perfect cure for our mid-summer blues.
The competition is heating up in Kamloops, B.C. this week as a surge of young hockey players have taken over the ice at the Sandman Center. Prospects from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States will compete against each other over a series of eleven games.
Although this is a friendly competition between countries, it is also a competition between teammates. The members of each team will be vying for a chance to represent their country at the IIHF World Junior Championships in December. Think of the World Junior Showcase as an audition. The coaches will look at more than just the overall performance of the team.
Every player that participates has only a few opportunities to showcase their skill set. Everything from their speed to how well they play against each opposing team will be taken into consideration. They will be closely evaluated to determine whether or not they have what it takes to represent their country at the IIHF World Junior Championship this December.
There are currently four prospects in the Anaheim Ducks system that are hoping their skills on the ice will be adequate enough to earn them a spot on their countries IIHF World Junior team. There are only a few more games left in the showcase, which means our players only have a few more days to prove they have what it takes to earn a coveted roster spot with their team come this winter.